Battle of Somosierra

The Battle of Somosierra occurred on 30 November 1808 during the Peninsular War. Napoleon I's army attacked Spanish forces defending the Somosierra Pass guarding the Spanish capital of Madrid, and a brave series of charges by Polish Imperial Guard cavalry - who lost a third of their number - almost single-handedly forced the Spanish army to retreat in disorder. The Spanish defeat at Somosierra allowed for the French to enter and occupy Madrid on 1 December 1808, restoring Joseph Bonaparte to the Spanish throne.

Background
In November of 1808, Napoleon I's army scored a crushing victory over the Spanish at the Battle of Tudela during a lightning offensive in eastern Spain. However, Napoleon failed to totally destroy the Spanish army, which survived to fight another day. Napoleon prepared his army to advance on the Spanish capital of Madrid, hoping to restore his brother Joseph Bonaparte to the throne. The Spanish government entrusted Benito de San Juan with command of the small garrison of Madrid, and he scraped together every remaining fresh recruit and militiaman from eastern Spain with the goal of holding the French at the narrow mountain passes outside of Madrid, where they might be able to defeat the French. However, the 20,000 Spanish troops faced 45,000 French troops commanded by Napoleon himself, and the two armies met in battle on 30 November 1808.

Battle
The battle began when Napoleon's army met the 9,000 Spanish troops defending the Somosierra pass on the outskirts of Madrid, with the Spanish infantry being arranged on ridgelines along the pass, while the Spanish artillery were positioned behind barricades. The battle began at 8:00 AM on 30 November, with three regiments from Marshal Claude-Victor Perrin's corps attacking the Spanish positions amid a dense morning fog. The Spanish raked the French with cannon and musket fire, forcing Perrin's force to withdraw. However, as the morning mists lifted, Napoleon noticed that the Spanish cannon at the first barricade were dangerously close to the French line, and Napoleon launched a surprise cavalry attack against the Spanish artillery positions; when told by a staff officer that capturing the cannon would be impossible, Napoleon famously replied, "Impossible? I don't know the meaning of the word." An all-Polish light horse regiment, boosted by Imperial Guard Chasseurs a Cheval, was ordered by Napoleon, "Poles, take me those cannon!" The seasoned Spanish regulars defending the cannon unleashed a grapeshot volley against the French and Polish cavalry, who, inspired by the Emperor's presence, charged the Spanish and took the barricade before disabling the guns. The Poles then saddled up and continued towards the second barricade, misunderstanding Napoleon's orders and charging as far as they were able. The Polish Cheveau-legers of the Imperial Guard took the second barricade, and they then reformed their column and took the third barricade despite bitter resistance. Napoleon then had his military renew their assault on the heights on either side of the road, and, while all of the senior officers of the light cavalry had fallen, the attack had taken on a momentum of its own, and the Polish cavalry took the fourth and final barricade. A French infantry barricade followed the Polish cavalry, securing the Spanish positions. Every third trooper and all of the officers in the Polish regiment were either killed or wounded, but the regiment won its place in the annals of history; Napoleon proclaimed them his bravest cavalry. The Spanish army fell apart, and San Juan was hanged by his panicked troops while attempting to restore order. Within days, Napoleon was at the gates of Madrid, which fell on 1 December.